Essay on Man | Page 9

a monster of so frightful mien,
As, to be hated, needs but to
be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure,
then pity, then embrace.
But where th' extreme of vice, was ne'er
agreed:
Ask where's the north? at York, 'tis on the Tweed;
In
Scotland, at the Orcades; and there,
At Greenland, Zembla, or the
Lord knows where.
No creature owns it in the first degree,
But
thinks his neighbour farther gone than he;
Even those who dwell
beneath its very zone,
Or never feel the rage, or never own;
What
happier nations shrink at with affright,
The hard inhabitant contends
is right.

Virtuous and vicious every man must be,
Few in th' extreme, but all
in the degree,
The rogue and fool by fits is fair and wise;
And even
the best, by fits, what they despise.
'Tis but by parts we follow good
or ill;
For, vice or virtue, self directs it still;
Each individual seeks a
several goal;
But Heaven's great view is one, and that the whole.

That counter-works each folly and caprice;
That disappoints th' effect
of every vice;
That, happy frailties to all ranks applied,
Shame to
the virgin, to the matron pride,
Fear to the statesman, rashness to the
chief,
To kings presumption, and to crowds belief:
That, virtue's
ends from vanity can raise,
Which seeks no interest, no reward but
praise;
And build on wants, and on defects of mind,
The joy, the
peace, the glory of mankind.
Heaven forming each on other to depend,
A master, or a servant, or a
friend,
Bids each on other for assistance call,
Till one man's
weakness grows the strength of all.
Wants, frailties, passions, closer
still ally
The common interest, or endear the tie.
To these we owe
true friendship, love sincere,
Each home-felt joy that life inherits here;

Yet from the same we learn, in its decline,
Those joys, those loves,
those interests to resign;
Taught half by reason, half by mere decay,

To welcome death, and calmly pass away.
Whate'er the passion, knowledge, fame, or pelf,
Not one will change
his neighbour with himself.
The learned is happy nature to explore,

The fool is happy that he knows no more;
The rich is happy in the
plenty given,
The poor contents him with the care of Heaven.
See
the blind beggar dance, the cripple sing,
The sot a hero, lunatic a king;

The starving chemist in his golden views
Supremely blest, the poet
in his muse.
See some strange comfort every state attend,
And pride bestowed on
all, a common friend;

See some fit passion every age supply,
Hope
travels through, nor quits us when we die.

Behold the child, by Nature's kindly law,
Pleased with a rattle, tickled
with a straw:
Some livelier plaything gives his youth delight,
A
little louder, but as empty quite:
Scarves, garters, gold, amuse his
riper stage,
And beads and prayer-books are the toys of age:

Pleased with this bauble still, as that before;
Till tired he sleeps, and
life's poor play is o'er.
Meanwhile opinion gilds with varying rays
Those painted clouds that
beautify our days;
Each want of happiness by hope supplied,
And
each vacuity of sense by pride:
These build as fast as knowledge can
destroy;
In folly's cup still laughs the bubble, joy;
One prospect lost,
another still we gain;
And not a vanity is given in vain;
Even mean
self-love becomes, by force divine,
The scale to measure others'
wants by thine.
See! and confess, one comfort still must rise,
'Tis
this, though man's a fool, yet God is wise.
ARGUMENT OF EPISTLE III.
OF THE NATURE AND STATE OF MAN WITH RESPECT TO
SOCIETY.
I. The whole Universe one system of Society, v.7, etc. Nothing made
wholly for itself, nor yet wholly for another, v.27. The happiness of
Animals mutual, v.49.
II. Reason or Instinct operate alike to the good of each Individual, v.79.
Reason or Instinct operate also to Society, in all Animals, v.109.
III. How far Society carried by Instinct, v.115. How much farther by
Reason, v.128.
IV. Of that which is called the State of Nature, v.144. Reason instructed
by Instinct in the invention of Arts, v.166, and in the Forms of Society,
v.176.
V. Origin of Political Societies, v.196. Origin of Monarchy, v.207.
Patriarchal Government, v.212.

VI. Origin of true Religion and Government, from the same principle,
of Love, v.231, etc. Origin of Superstition and Tyranny, from the same
principle, of Fear, v.237, etc. The Influence of Self-love operating to
the social and public Good, v.266. Restoration of true Religion and
Government on their first principle, v.285. Mixed Government, v.288.
Various forms of each, and the true end of all, v.300, etc.
EPISTLE III.
Here, then, we rest: "The Universal Cause
Acts to one end, but acts
by various laws."
In all the madness of superfluous health,
The trim
of pride, the impudence of wealth,
Let this great truth be present
night and day;
But most be present, if we preach or pray.
Look round our world; behold the chain of love
Combining all below
and all above.
See plastic Nature working to this end,
The single
atoms each to other tend,
Attract, attracted to, the next in place

Formed and impelled its neighbour